Doll-dress structure



Patented Dec. 29, 1925.

UNl'l'El) STATES PATENT OFFHZEQ JOHN LE'VAGGI AND WILLIAM C". DOI'IERTY,OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

DOLL-DRESS STRUCTURE.

Application filed. October 25, 1923.

T 0 all whom it may concern-.-

Be it known that we, JOHN LEVAGGI, a subject of the King of Italy, andVVILLIAM J. Dorrnnrr, a citizen of the United States, both residing atLos Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, haveinvented a new and useful Doll-Dress Structure, of which the followingis a specilication.

This invention relates to doll-dress structures and is particularlydirected to a structure especially adapted for association with dolls ofthe type generally referred to as Kewpie dolls.

Dolls of this general type are designed and intended principally fordistribution as prizes or premiums at parks, fairs, amusement resortsand like establishments, and while in some instances the dress structurefor such dolls are quite complete, in the majority of instances they aredesigned to have a general appearance of a dress when viewed from thefront with little attention being paid to the form or appearance whenviewed from the back.

One type of such dress structure comprises a backing carrying elementsof ornamentation arranged in simulation of a dress, and has one or moreopenings permitting the structure to be slipped longitudinally over thedolls and in structures using aiiexilole backing of sheet material, suchas cardboard, it has been the usual practice to provide twolongitudinally spaced openings therein and to apply the structure. tothe doll by threading the doll longitudinally through one opening in onedirection and then through the other opening in the opposi-te directionand then depending upon the tension of the cardboard to hold thestructure in place. Such a structure is objectionable for the reasonthat at least one of these openings must be as wide as the widestportion of the doll, (usually the medial portion) with the result thatwhen the dress-structure is in position the marginal edges of the largeropening will not closely fit the sides of the doll. A further objectionresides in the time required to place such a dress structure upon thedoll and also in the danger of injury to the strucjlure by frequentremoval and subsequent applying 'ofthe dress structure to the doll.

This is quite important due to the fact that the dolls and dressstructures are in the first .lnstancepacked separately for ship- SerialNo. 670,711.

ment to the purchaser who applies the dresses to the dolls, the timerequired to apply a large number of such dress structures being an itemof considerable expense, and considerable delay in instances where timeis an important consideration, such as in the quick setting up ofconcession stands, particularly in travelling fairs, carnivals, etc. Insuch travelling establishments the item of packing space is of greatimportance and necessitates a frequent undressing and redressing of thedolls with the resulting liability of injury to doll-dress structures ofa type which are threaded on the dolls, as above explained.

The present invention has for an object to provide a doll-dressstructure which may be quickly and easily applied or removed withoutinjury thereto, and which can be cheaply manufactured.

Another object is to provide a dressstructure including a supportingmember extending only part way around the doll and maintained thereonentirely by its inherent tension.

Another object is to provide a normally flat dress structure having asingle opening defining upper and lower marginal portions andintermediate opposed tongues, and adapted to be longitudinally bowed andtransversely flexed to separate the tongues to permit the structure tobe slipped laterally over the doll to a position in which the upper andlower marginal portions engage the front surface of the doll and thetongues enga e behind the intermediate portion of the toll.

Various other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent fromthe following description of the accompanying drawings which form a partof this disclosure, and which illustrate a preferred form of canbodiment of the invent-ion.

Of the drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of the dress structure applied to a doll.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the supporting member of said dress structure.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3--3 of Fig. Land is alongitudinal section on line 4:,et of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 1 designates a doll of the general type herein referredto, and 2 designates the supporting member of the dress-structure whichcarries the Various elements of ornamentation, which in the presentinstance, includes a plurality of feathers 3 arranged to have thegeneral appearance of a dress, and various other elements ofornamentation such as the bows of tinsel 4-. These various elements aresecured to the front surface of the supporting memher 2 by any suitablemeans, and the member 2 is made of flexible sheet material, preferablyrelatively heavy cardboard of a quality which when bent or flexed fromits normally fiat condition will by its inherent tension tend to resumeits fiat condition.

As shown in Fig. 2, said member has a single longitudinally disposedopeningof approximate hour-glass contour defining upper and lowermarginal edges 6 and 7, and opposed intermediate tongues 8 extendingtowards each other. The upper portion 9 of said opening is slightlywider than the head of the doll and the lower portion 10 of the openingis slightly wider than the lower portion of the doll, while the normalspace 11 between the two tongues 8 1s narrower than the intermediateportion of the doll.

In applying this dress structure to a doll or other figure of likecharacter, the operator holds the medial portion of the structure withboth hands and with the thumbs engaging the respective tongues 8. Bypressing backwardly with the thumbs upon the tongues 8 the side portionsof the structure are flexed transversely and the tongues are separatedto widen the space 11 to a degree in excess of the width of theintermediate portion of the doll. lVhile the structure is held flexed,it is slipped laterally over the doll, the edge 6 engaging the frontsurface of the doll above the forehead and the edge 7 engaging the frontsurface of the doll below toe waist, a continued rearward pressurecausing the structure to be bowed longitudinally (see Fig. 4) until thetongues 8 are rearwardly of the shoulders of the doll. The structure isthen released and the inherent tension of the member 2 causes thetongues 8 to spring towards each other and engage the rear surface ofthe doll with the result that the entire member 2 grips the figure andmaintains the structure in place.

By the above means we have provided a doll-dress structure, whichextends only part way around the figure and which has only singleopening and is of a flexible nature permitting the structure to belaterally applied to the figure and maintained in position by theinherent tension of the structure. Further this structure provides adress which closely fits the figure, and which can be quickly and easilyapplied or removed without injury to the dress.

While we have shown and described the structure as being applied to adoll, it will be obvious that it may also be applied to various otherfigures, and it is also obvious that other elements of ornamentationbesides or in place of the feathers herein referred to may be used.

While the form of structure herein illustrated and described is welladapted to fulfill the objects primarily stated, it is to be understoodthat we do not wish to limit our invention to the one form of embodimentherein disclosed, for it is susceptible of embodiment in various otherforms all coming within the scope of the following claims.

o claim:

1. A doll-dress of the nature disclosed comprising a supporting memberadapted to be laterally engaged upon a doll or other figure of likecharacter, said member having a single opening defining upper and lowermarginal edges to engage the front surface of the figure andintermediate means adapted to engage the rear surface of the figure, andelements of ornamentation secured to said member and constitutingcomponent parts of the dress.

2. A doll-dress of the nature disclosed comprising a supporting memberadapted to be laterally engaged over a doll or other figure of likecharacter, said member consisting of a piece of flexible sheet materialhaving a single opening defining upper and lower marginal edges adaptedto engage the front surface of the figure and side marginal edgesadapted to engage the rear sur face of said figure, and elements ofornamentation secured to said member and constituting component parts ofthe dress.

3. A doll-dress of the nature disclosed comprising a supporting memberadapted to be laterally engaged over a doll or other figure of likecharacter, said member consisting of a piece of flexible sheet materialhaving a single longitudinally disposed opening narrower at its medialportion than the width of a corresponding portion of the figure to whichthe structure is to be applied, said opening defining upper and lowermarginal edges adapted to engage the front surface of the figure andintermediate side marginal edges adapted to engage the rear surfacethereof, and elements of ornamentation secured to said member andconstitut ing component parts of the dress.

at. A doll-dress of the nature disclosed. comprising a supporting memberadapted to be laterally engaged upon a doll or other figure of likecharacter, said member coir sisting of a single sheet of flexiblematerial devoid of folds or creases and having a single opening definingupper and lower marginal edges adapted 'to engage the front surface ofthe figure and intermediate side marginal edges adapted to engage therear surface thereof, and elements of ornamentation secured to saidmember and constituting component'parts of the dress.

The combination including a doll or other. figure of like character, anda dolldress comprising a supporting member consisting of a normally flatpiece of flexible material having a single longitudinally disposedopening Wider at its end portions than the corresponding portions ofsaid figure and narrower at its intermediate portion than theintermediate portion of said figure, said opening defining upper andlower marginal edges and opposed intermediate tongues, the member beingcapable of being flexed to move the tongues rearwardly and away fromeach other and permit said member to be slipped over the figure with theupper and lower marginal edges engaging the front surface thereof andthe tongues positioned rearwardly of said figure Where by upon releaseof said member the tongues engage the rear surface of the figure and theinherent tension of the member causes it to grip the figure, andelements of ornamentation secured to said member and constitutingcomponent parts of the dress.

The combination including adoll or other figure of like character, and adolldress comprising a supporting member consisting of a normally flatsheet of flexible material and having a single longitudinally disposedopening of general hour-glass contour defining upper and lower marginaledges and intermediate opposed tongues, said member being capable ofbeing flexed to spread the tongues apart and permit the member to beslipped laterally over the figure and then released whereby the inherenttension of said member causes it to grip the figure With the upper andlower marginal edges engaging the front surface and the tongues engagingthe rear surface of the figure, and elements of ornamentation secured tosaid member and constituting component parts of the dress.

7. The combination including a doll or other figure of like character, amember entirely supported by said figure and consisting of a flexiblepiece of sheet material having a central opening defining an upper and alower marginal edge engaging the front surface of the figure and opposedtongues engaging the rear surface of the figure, said member beingretained in place by its inherent tension, and elements of ornamentationsecured to the front surface of said member and arranged in simulationof a fanciful dress.

8. An article of manufacture constituting a doll-dress and consisting ofa flat sheet of flexible material having a single longitudinallydisposed opening of approximate hourglass contour, and elements ofornamentation secured to said member and constituting component parts ofthe dress.

Signed at Los Angeles, California this 19th day of October 1923.

JOHN LEVAGGI. WILLIAM J. DOHERTY

